Tag: Races

Blues Cruise Is This Sunday (10/6/24)!

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The Blues Cruise race date is nearly here: Sunday, October 6, 2024!

As we enter race week, there are many tasks to be completed. If you wish to volunteer, please sign up at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112917.    

If you are unable to use the sign-up page, please contact Elaine Cook directly. On the sign-up page, you can choose a task or allow Elaine (our volunteer coordinator and race director) to help you find a fun job that fits your time frame. 

*** We do need 1 or more persons to conduct a course check (usually on bike, but horses are ok also) early on race day.***   

For those that use the trails at Blue Marsh, please email bluescruiserd@gmail.com if you see any areas with trees down, or areas that need to be mowed/weed-whacked.

If anyone is on the trail after the race, please remove any of the pink or orange ribbons our sweepers may have missed.

*** FAQ: The race is clockwise this year!***

Coming 11/3/24—the 30th running of the Oley Valley Country Classic 10 Mile and 5k event…and…new this year: the Croc O Mile—a one-mile run in Crocs!!

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This year the OVCC will begin and end at the Oley Valley High School!  There are indoor facilities for pre- and post-run gathering.

We are going with a long sleeve shirt this year, with a unique race logo—the design options are looking awesome! See one you really like? Email leonardeburton@gmail.com with your preferences!

Follow the race on Facebook and/or Instagram for updates!

Sign up today!

click here to register

This event is also an RRCA Eastern Regional Championship, and a great course to run a PR, with the smooth, rolling hills of the Oley Valley.

Munchiez Food Truck will be on site offering post-run eats, and the Pagoda Pacers will also have lite post-race fare available.

We are actively looking for volunteers to help us make this race go smoothly. Please reach out to a race director to let them know of your availability.  leonardeburton@gmail.com or barrygoodhart@gmail.com

 See you in Oley on November 3rd!

Registration Now Open for 35th Annual Winter Race Series: Shiver by the River!

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Dates: 2nd Sunday, December-March (Dec 8th , Jan 12th , Feb 9th , March 9th)

Time: 10 a.m. start (Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.)

Location: Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg Twp.

Come out and join us for the best winter race series in the area!!

If you have never run a Shiver race, or if it’s been a few years, let us remind you of what makes this series great: it keeps you motivated to run through the winter, and it helps you reconnect with local runners you haven’t seen for years!

If you are one of the many runners we see year after year, we look forward to seeing you again!

Online registration for the series is open and can be found at Pretzel City Sports.

Once again, we are not mailing apps! However, we will accept mail-in registrations. Apps can be printed from the Pagoda Pacers website, or you can pick one up at any of the many races timed by Pretzel City Sports. We plan to also have copies at our monthly meetings (if we remember to bring them).

Pre-registration is only available for the series; however, we will have race-day registration for both the series and individual races.

This year’s swag is a tank top in both women’s and men’s sizes. Great colors!!!!

Each race includes a post-race buffet of soup, pretzels, and snacks. Our end-of-series party includes a hot and cold buffet plus lots and lots of door prizes, overall awards, and 5-year age group awards. As always, this buffet is free to any runner who
registers for the series or runs at least 3 races. There is a nominal charge for all others.

Come out and join us for our 35th season!!!!!!

Race Directors,
Sue Jackson, Georgine McCool, Tiffany Pantoja

Final Blues Cruise Training Run Set for 9/7/24

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We will meet at the Old Church Road parking area  at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 7th, and carpool to the lower Stilling Basin lot, to run point-to-point on the Blues Cruise course, starting about 8 a.m.

The run is almost 16 miles. Runners can easily shorten it to just under 14 miles by skipping the Skinner’s Loop portion, and of course adding miles is easy too.

(For those looking for a shorter option, an out-and-back of your desired distance is also an easy option. Just meet us at the Stilling Basin so we can run the first few miles together!)

Please comment on the Facebook Event Page if you have questions or need suggestions. Bring water and nutrition! The route features about 1600 feet of climbing.

This will be a great day to dial in your race-day gear! This includes some of our favorite parts of the Blues Cruise course!

For those who have the time, several of us usually grab lunch together after. Hope to see you there!

Sometimes It Feels GOOD to Have the Blues

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Blues Cruise needs you! 

The Pacers’ most challenging event is the Blues Cruise 50K, which requires about 100 volunteers and lasts 12 hours from set up to clean up.  This year’s race is on Sunday, October 6, with set up starting at 6am, and clean up finishing at 6pm. 

While a number of folks are there for the long haul, most of our volunteers work a shift of a few hours.  As we did last year, we’re asking volunteers to go to the Blues Cruise page on UltraSignUp  and click the green volunteer button next to the registration button in the banner. There you will agree to the waiver which allows you to be covered by our insurance. Then you can select one (or more!) volunteer duties. 

We’d love to get some of our newer members out to volunteer!  I think all the veteran volunteers will agree that this is a truly rewarding day and a great way to meet more of the club. Many of the BC runners are new to ultra running and our volunteers make all the difference–as the runner surveys indicate. 

If you are an experienced ultra runner, your expertise is invaluable; and if you’ve never run an ultra, beware!  Spending a day at this event is likely to get you signing up as a runner next year! 

If you’d like to volunteer, but can’t participate on the 6th, check out the list.  We need course maintenance throughout September, and we need course markers on Saturday October 5th, as well as gear cleanup on Monday October 7th. 

Finally, our final Blues Cruise training run is Saturday September 7 for a 14 mile course preview–check out the Facebook event page for details!  Thanks everyone, you are the ones who make this race great.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

click here to register as a volunteer!

Elaine and Michael

Registration is OPEN for the 38th Annual Kris Kringle 5-Miler!

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The Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club is happy to invite you to the 38th annual Kris Kringle 5-Mile Run on Sunday, December 29th!

Looking to squeeze one last fun event in over the Christmas break? This race is always a family favorite, with proceeds benefiting the Berks County Cross Country Coaches Association. So grab your friends & family and close out 2024 with us!

Course: The course features a mix of road and easy trail sections through Blue Marsh and the Union Canal Trail.We’ll be running counter-clockwise this year. Strollers and walkers are welcome. Dogs are not permitted at this event. 

Registration Fees: ALL registration fees are RACE ONLY 

  • $25 per runner through December 3, 2024
  • $30 per runner from December 4 to December 15, 2024 at midnight
  • Day-of registration: $30 (hoodies will not be available for purchase)
  • ONLINE REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE ON DECEMBER 15th at 11:59PM EST

Option to add a hoodie for an additional cost during checkout.

Hoodies: 

  • This year’s hoodie will be Dark Heathered Green, as voted on by you! You can get a sneak peek when you go through the registration process. 
  • Hoodies are not included with the race registration cost but can be added to your order during the checkout process for $18 until December 3, 2024
  • Deadline to order: December 3, 2024
  • Must be picked up at the race; no holds. No additional hoodies will be sold at the event.

Race Day Info:

  • Registration: 8:30 AM  |  Race Start: 10:00 AM
  • Same-day registration will be available at $30 per runner (no hoodie option)
  • Leave your doggy pals at home, please. No dogs permitted at this event. 

Awards:

  • Overall: Top 2 male and female (not eligible for age group awards)
  • Age Groups: Top 3 male and female in 5-year brackets from U14 to 69, plus a 70+ category
  • Top High School Teams: Teams in Open (all male or mixed) or Female (girls only) divisions. XC scoring used (lowest point total wins).This will be the last year for the team competition due to low participation. 
  • **NEW THIS YEAR!**: Awards for the oldest male and female finisher

Weather: In case of inclement weather on race day, updates will be sent to the email address used for registration. 

Keep up with the latest updates and race fun by joining our Facebook Group: Kris Kringle 5 Mile Run

click here to register!

Gring’s Mill 5k / 10k This Weekend!

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Looking for a flat, fast, beautiful 5k or 10k race this weekend? Sign up NOW for the Gring’s Mill 5k / 10k at the Berks County Heritage Center on Sunday, August 4th, at 9 a.m.!

Can’t race? Would you prefer to volunteer? Please contact race director Jason Karpinski at gringsmilldirector@pagodapacers.com.

Alternatively, you can also help out by giving a “push” to an adaptive athlete as part of the RaceMates program. Interested? Contact Michael Whalen via the RaceMates FB page.

Next Pacer Race: Gring’s Mill 5k/10k on Sunday, August 4th

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Come join us for this flat and fast mid-summer race on the scenic Gring’s Mill canal path! 

The start/finish location will be at the Berks County Heritage Center, located at 1102 Red Bridge Road, off of Route 183.

This event features both 5K and 10K race options, plus a kids’ run for those bringing the whole family.

Bib pickup opens at 7:30 a.m. 

5k/10k starts at 9:00 a.m.

Kids’ Run starts at approximately 10:15 a.m.   

Online registration is open–click the button below!

register

Not interested in racing, but want to help out? Email race director Jason Karpinski (gringsmilldirector@pagodapacers.com) and let him know!

OVCC Set for 11/3/24

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Mark your calendar: Sunday, November 3, 2024—we will run and celebrate the 30th annual Oley Valley Country Classic 10-Miler and 5k. This will be a special, one-of-a-kind event!

This year, the race will start and end at Oley Valley High School. Pre/post-race activities and registration will be indoors. There will be plenty of off-street parking for this year’s RRCA Eastern Regional Championship race. Despite the new starting location, the course will be almost entirely identical to the previous year’s course. 

This course is awesome: slightly rolling hills over rural roads along Oley’s beautiful landscape. The changing leaves and cool temps this time of year add to the scenic nature of the Fall Classic.

Munchiez Food Truck will be on site serving breakfast plus their regular menu! We will also serve some post-race fare—carbs and fruit!  

Register by October 21 to guarantee your long sleeve shirt, and join us at this great event! The shirt will incorporate past logos as well as a unique one for our 30th running of the OVCC!

Follow us on Facebook (oleyvalleycountryclassic) for updates and more race details.

Links to our race application and online registration will soon be available on our website: https://www.pagodapacers.com/Races-Results/Races/Oley-Valley-Country-Classic.aspx

Croc-o-Mile

A new special event this year will be the running of the 1st annual Croc-O-Mile!  Who is the fastest human in Crocs? Lets find out…it’s all for fun and for charity anyway, so enjoy running the Croc-O-Mile on the high school track for only $5. We will run this event throughout the morning, so you will have ample chance to run our primary events (10M/5K) and still squeeze in a Croc-O-Mile! 

More details to come on this, but count on it being fun! People may travel from all over the world for the first Croc-O-Mile!

Questions? Email the RD—oleyvalleycountryclassic@gmail.com

Looking forward to an exciting morning for everyone to run their hearts out!